Notes from Underground – Most read articles for the week ending 11 Feb 2023

The most-read non-Tom article this week is by Chris Bailey, Gold: you're indestructible (even if the price goes down sometimes)  at No 6 or No 14 including Bearcasts.

The most read ShareProphets stories this week were:

1. BREAKING SHOCKING DOSSIER: Is £62m AIM darling Afentra Investor Trying To Hide Corruption Allegations And Russia Connections? 
   I only ask the question of this company, beloved by private investors, and at 28.1p valued at £62 million. A detailed dossier published below begs some serious questions.
   
   
2. Gabriel Grego calls out Darktrace CEO share buy for the spoooooooooooooof that it is
   In the wake of Gabriel Grego’s superb expose on Darktrace (DARK ), HERE, CEO Poppy Gustafsson made great play, as part of her range of responses, in buying 48,000 shares. But that was a spoof as Gabriel pointed out on Twitter yesterday:
   
   
3. Paul Jourdan, Evil Banksta and Cathal Friel join the ShareStock line-up
   It is still 230 days to ShareStock, the shares festival held in a tent on an elevated lawn here at my family’s farmhouse here in Wales on the banks of the River Dee, just a few miles from Chester. Yet we can now announce (almost) the complete speaker line-up.
   
   
4. Versarien – bad rumours from the USA
   You thought that the savage redundancy programme at cash strapped Versarien (VRS) was all done and dusted? Perhaps it is time to think again. Rumours are arriving from the USA.
   
   
5. Ben’s Creek – an after hours share dumping stinker: the stench of Adam Wilson is everywhere
   At 6 PM last night, nobody is watching O’ Clock, Ben’s Creek - CEO infamous Adam Wilson of Atlantic Carbon/Coal and Daniel Stewart disgrace - (BEN) announced that its largest shareholder MBU (main advisor the same Adam Wilson) had dumped 22,222,222 shares (5.92% of the equity) at just 18p. As with all share dumping by Wilson entities this is not what it seems and it stinks.
   
   
6. Gold: you're indestructible (even if the price goes down sometimes)
   I read in the Sunday press that allegedly the “FCA offers to bend the rules to land Arm float”. That is certainly something to keep an eye on this year, especially as the FTSE 100 - unlike many of its global peers - is somewhat light in the excitable world of technology stocks. An area the FTSE 100 is heavily exposed to however is the commodity sector. Last week may have seen “London’s FTSE 100 Index ended the week on a high having reached its highest ever score, beating the previous record of 7,903.5 set in May 2018”, but you may have seen that natural gas, oil and silver prices have fallen even further this year and even my beloved gold is only up a couple of percent in dollar terms over the first five or so weeks of 2023 …
   
   
7. BREAKING: OvalX/ETX/Monecor shutting spreadbet/CFD operations across Europe
   Clients of OvalX, formerly ETX Capital, have just received an email warning them that the business is being shut down. This is not just in the UK, the owner Monecor, is shutting operations across Europe.
8. ShareProphets readers tips for 2023 prize competition – first month update Having asked for readers tips for 2023 for the prize of 1/2 litre of Tom Winnifrith's Greek Hovel olive oil (2023 harvest) HERE, the following is the first of the monthly updates (to be eligible needed to have selected, on a once per username basis, a buy & sell pick from the LSE, AIM casino or Aquis lobster pot and the stocks not to have been suspended at the commencement of 2023).
9. I have no desire to buy either stock, but don’t worry about new shares at 3i Infrastructure or more buybacks at Shell At the end of September last year, about the time when a 4,000-word comedy essay writer in yesterday’s Sunday press was the country’s PM, I wrote that for any investors who were too scared to invest in most shares, then “you can do a lot worse than 3i Infrastructure (3IN)” HERE. These shares, like a bunch of other FTSE 350 names, are up since then but today I notice that its board “is pleased to announce a proposed placing of ordinary shares in the capital of the Company conducted under the existing non-pre-emptive authorities granted by shareholders at the Company's annual general meeting”. How exciting (not). And what about all those share buybacks that have been happening elsewhere in FTSE 350 names?

The most-listened to Bearcasts this week were:

1. Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: I shall now block anyone emailing me about Kefi, it is sending me bonkersIn today's long Bearcast I discuss Kefi Gold & Copper (KEFI), Sosandar (SOS), Argo Blockchain (ARB), Ben's Creek (BEN), Cellular Goods (CBX) and an IPO from Primary Bid and the spivs at Novum to avoid like the plague: World Chess
   
   
2. Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: The economic illiteracy of the political class: BP and its $27.6 billion profitThe tweet below is from Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves but I also cite Lib Dem leader Ed Davey for spouting equal tosh this morning. I start with BP (BP.) and windfall taxes. Then it is onto Tintra (TNT) with two more bombshell exposes today. My target price here is now officially 0p. Then it is onto another Dominic White, of the fraud Supply@ME Capital (SYME) infamy, MaxRets Ventures (MAX). En passant I mention DeepVerge (DVRG).
   
   
3. Tom Winnifrith Bonus Bearcast: explaining North Sea oil economics to comrade Malcolm Stacey and the Probiotix nightmare continuesI start with the economics lesson for Red Malcolm, looking at the North Sea, BP and Shell and his Marxist scribblings of yesterday. Then it is onto Probiotix (PBX) and where we stand.
   
   
4. Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: Manchester City should suffer a Saracens+ penalty and here is whyI start with Manchester City and then move onto Tintra (TNT) where i a am now working on a 3rd exposé in three days. It has all the hallmarks of a zero and regulators need to step in. In the same vein I discuss Caracal Gold (GCAT) amid a dash for trash. Then it is onto HUI (HUI) and Powerhouse (PHE) and finally I discuss Vast Resources (VAST) where - as I warned a placing dump followed the Zim diamond pump. This will not be the last bailout placing.
   
   
5. Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: feeling a bit fragile today for reasons you can guess & is there any way back for disgraced pot stocks?I am sure you can guess the sport related reasons for the fragility. Blame my pal C who you may have met at ShareStock last year. It is all his fault. I start with that and a milestone this website reached on Friday. Then onto pot/CBD stocks including Seed Innovations (SEED), Chill Brands (CHLL), Oxford Cannabinoid (OCTP), Love Hemp (LIFE) and Cellular Goods (CBX) and "investment expert" Clem Chambers of ADVFN (AFN) infamy. No sniggering at the back please
   
   
6. Tom Winnifrith Main Bearcast: Is Love Hemp now in administration?In today's main bearcast I look at Love Hemp (LIFE) or should that be (DEATH)? then at Microsaic (MSYS), Advanced Oncotherapy (AVO), Guild ESports (GILD, Argo Blockchain (ARB) and finally Afentra (AET) after today's dynamite dossier HERE
   
   
7. Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: a buy idea with 20% total return target + what would Ben Turney v1 make of Ben Turney v2 after Friday's nonsense?In today's podcast I look at Afentra (AET) and Gary Newman's patience with obvious cretins, ScotGold (SGZ), Chill Brands (CHLL), Guild ESports (GILD), Genedrive (GDR) - a £62 million short - Kavango Resources (KAV) and BAT Industries (BATS).
   
   
8. Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: a failed and humble fund manager offers advice to a conceited successful one, Crispin Odey, over Advanced OncotherapyI discuss both Advanced Oncotherapy (AVO) where my target remains 0p. And I say that as the loyal owner of one share. Then also the green idiots suing Shell (SHEL) for not being green enough. Words almost fail me but, as usual, in the end they do not. I forgot to mention it but I commend to you my article on the utter bastardisation of democracy and Orwellian use of language by the Committee of the MCC, HERE